Social media users celebrate Tennessee woman’s win of a settlement for refusing a COVID-19 vaccine

Last week, a Tennessee woman who had been fired from Blue Cross Blue Shield for refusing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine won a $700,000 settlement. Within a day, news of the settlement spread across multiple news outlets and social media platforms. Some social media users called the woman a “hero” and suggested that others who had been fired for refusing vaccines should also sue their employers. Others claimed that COVID-19 vaccines are “experimental” and unsafe.

Recommendation: News stories about people suing employers for vaccine-related job loss often incite an uptick in false claims about vaccine safety, as vaccine opponents typically paint these individuals as victims of what they believe to be unsafe and unfair policies. Trending conversations about this story may instigate COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and may prompt patient questions about vaccine mandates. Messaging may emphasize that mRNA vaccines are not experimental—in fact, they have been studied for decades. COVID-19 vaccines have been rigorously tested and monitored in millions of people worldwide and have been determined to be safe. Additional messaging may emphasize that vaccine mandates are intended to reduce the spread of infectious diseases and prevent severe illness and death caused by vaccine-preventable diseases. Research shows that COVID-19 vaccine mandates reduced the spread of COVID-19. The CDC recommends COVID-19 vaccines for everyone 6 months and older.